A partly autobiographical
piece that asks why there aren't any well-known women maestros of the tabla. I
drew upon my own conflicted history with music teachers and music lessons and
posed the question a few days ago to a famous male tabla pandit from Benares. I
didn't care for the answer. It inspired me to write the article.

(Many folks have written to
me since reading the article to share their knowledge of one or two women tabla
players. While it’s incredibly heartening to know that the handful exists, the
point I was trying to make was bigger…)

About Me

I was born in Lahore and grew up mostly in Karachi, though I moved a lot as a child – two years in Tokyo, two in Manila, three in London. I wrote my first (complete) story at age six, and never stopped writing after that. In this photo, I’m on a suspension bridge in Hunza, in northern Pakistan, where part of my new novel, Thinner Than Skin, is set. I found the bridge on my way south from Passu to Gilgit. In case you’re in the area, you can also hazard the crossing by following this route.